Hatch construction for railway cars



Sept. 22, 1953 w. H. KELEHER HATCH CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CARS 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 17, 1950 INVENTOR William H.KE1 eh Er,

ATTORNEY 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR; E] William I'LKel ahar',

ATTORNEY a Sept. 22, 1953 w. H. KELEHER HATCH CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAYCARS Filed'March 17, 1950 Sept. 22, 1.953 w KELEHER HATCH CONSTRUCTIONFOR RAILWAY CARS Filed March 17, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR WilliamH.Keleher',

ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 22, 1953 OFFICE- HATCH coNs'rmgc'rioN FOR RAILWAY ARSWilliam Keleher, Chicago, Application March '17, 1950, Serial No.150,240

This invention relates to improvements in hatch constructions forrailway cars, and particularly to a hatch construction for insulatedrefrigerator cars having roof hatchways or openings for the introductionof ice into ice bunkers arranged within the car.

For many years refrigerator car roofs were essentiallyof woodconstruction, with wood or canvas as the exposed waterproofing surface.Wood hatch coamings andwo'od hatch plugs and covers were the order ofthat day. With improvements in box cars the flexible steel roof, andfinally the solid steel roof, were carried ov r to and became standardto refrigerator cars. The use of steel roofs withthatch openings led tothe design of steel hatch coamings and steel hatch covers, and, in somecases; combined plugs and covers of. alli steel construction. Thislatter type of construction had distinct advantages over the old woodenconstruction in that it 'pre-' sent'ed a more pleasing'appearance, wasof considerably longer life than the wood and involved less maintenanceproblems, was less vulnerable to injury from the large cakes of icestriking the coaming on their way-through the hatch openings, and wasmore satisfactory than its wood predescessor' in that' it providedatight roof and hatch opening barrier against water leaks. Water leaksaround. the hatch opening result in wa ter passage into the insulationabove the car ceiling, which results in deterioration of the insulationand reduction of its insulation value, with attendantheat transfer andconsumption of more ice in the. warm season and more :fuel in theheating season. Water passage into the ceiling of the car. also resultsin damage claims where the water can find its way through .the ceilingand damagescartons of canned goods, bottled goods and other commoditiesrequiring dry conditions. The one disadvantage :of the steelconstructionover the wood construction which it displaced, is i'thati iticonducts .heat much faster than wood, which-is practically aninsulating material, resulting in refrigerating .losses when "thebunkers are used 'as refrigerating chambers to cool the air in the carand in heat losses when the bunkers are used as heating chambers to heatthe-air in thecar;

The object of the present invention :is to pro- 'vide a :novelconstruction :of :ha-tchway and closure which retains the advantages ofthe steel construction of roof, eoamin", and skirt lining the lowerpart-of the-hatch opening, while at :the sametime giving the insulatingadvantages of a a wood construction against :heat "exchange los'sesthrough any partsof thehatchway.

17 Cl ims. (Cl. 105--377) In the accompanying drawings illustrating theinvention,

Fig. l is a plan View of a portion of a metal car roof provided with myimproved hatchway construction.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same taken in a directionlongitudinally of the car on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar section taken in a direction transversely of the caron line 33 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Fig. 3, on an enlarged scale, ofportions of the parts located at opposite sides of the hatchway.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the ladder carline and a portion of thecoaming and showing the insulating gasket applied thereto.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail section on line l of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view showing the joint connection between oneof the ladder carline bars and a side plate.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing the use of a modified form ofinsulating means between the carline frame and coaming.

Fig. 10 is a section on line I'll-4 0 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a plan View showing the ladder carline frame.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I represents a portionof one of the car side walls, 2 a portion of the roof hatch sheet, 3parts of the wall framing, and 4- a portion of the ceiling of aninsulated refrigerator car having a hatchway .5, and a closure '5therefor, constructed in accordance with my invention.

The hatchwaystructure includes in its assembly a ladder carline framing1 formed of pairs of angle metal bars or members 8 and 9, respectively,rigidly connected together. The carline members 8 extend below the rooffrom side to side of the car between the EU eaves sections I0 of theside plates and have vertical portions l I depending at the ends of thehatch opening and upper horizontal flange portions 1:2 arranged belowand in spaced relation :to the edges of the roof sheet at the ends ofthe hatch opening. The carline members 9' extend below the roof sheet atthe sides of thehatch opening'and have vertical portions t3 dependinginline with the edges of the roof sheets at the sides thereof and upperhorizontal flange portions 14 arranged in spaced relation to thereofsheets at such points. Where the ends of the-carline members 8 areattached to the plates 10, each end of a carline member 8 is .spacedfromthe plate '10 by an insulation block l5 and is secured thereto by anangle bracket l6 and sets of rivets or bolts ll, 18 and [9. As

3 shown, one part of the angle bracket is fastened by the bolts orrivets H to the portion H of the carline member 8, while the other partof said bracket is fastened to the block 15 by the bolts or rivets l8and the block in turn is independently fastened to the plate by thebolts or rivets [9.

,The arrangement of the sets of bolts l8 and [9,

which may be disposed in staggered order, as shown, is such that eachbolt is countersunk at one end in the block I so that bolts 13 are freefrom connection with the plate and bolts H! are free from connectionwith the carline member and bracket. Thus the carline member isindirectly fastened to the plate i0 so as to be thermally insulatedtherefrom, the joint connections between each carline member 8 and themetal side plates forming temperature breaks preventing heat transferbetween the metal plates and carline frame and through the latter to theinterior of the car.

The hatchway structure also includes in its construction the upperportion or angle metal coaming extending above the roof about the hatchopening, and the lower depending sheet metal skirt or lining 2|. shown,extends upwardly and outwardly at an angle of from 85 to 90 to thevertical plane of the hatchway to form a downwardly converging entrancethereto, and terminates at its upper free end in a bulbous enlargement22, and is provided at its lower end with a flange 23 which extendsunder and is riveted, welded or otherwise rigidly fastened to the roofsheet. The skirt or lining 2| may be of any suitable form and extendsdownwardly between the carline framing and the car ceiling, being weldedto the vertical portions II and i3 of the carline members and suitablyfastened to the ceiling.

In order to prevent any heat-transfer action between the roof andcoaming and the interior of the car in the region of the hatchway, orbetween the upper part of the hatchway and the lower or lining partthereof, a gasket 24 of rubber or other suitable insulating material isarranged and firmly secured between the base flange of the coaming andthe flanges l2 and M of the carline members, thus providing a sealingconnection and a heat-break or frost-break to prevent water leaks andtemperature losses through air leakage at this important point. By thismeans and by the use of a proper closure to cover and seal the hatchwaya construction is provided which in a simple manner allows use of asturdy, long-life hatchway structure of steel which has an insulatingvalue equal to that of wood through the provision of an effective heatconduction interruption between external and internal steel parts.

The hatchway closure employed may be of any suitable construction, butas shown herein comprises a hinged metal cover 25 carrying a suitableform of insulating plug including a wooden plug member 25 externallytapered to correspond substantially to the interior downward taper ofthe coaming. The plug is rabbeted at its upper edge to receive the inneredge of an insulated sealing gasket 26 secured at its outer edge to thecover by a retaining member 21. This gasket, which may be made of rubberor other suitable material, is arranged so as to be compressed, when thecover is closed, into sealing engagement with the bulbous edge 22 of thecoaming, whereby an insulated air and water tight connection between thehatchway and coaming is provided. In order to add to the sealingsecurity of this connection the tapered peripheral surfaceof the plugmay be The coaming 28, as

provided with a compressible sealing means 28 which will be jammed orforced with a wedging fit into the coaming and against the inclinedinner surface thereof when the cover is closed. Any suitable type ofcombined ventilating arm and hatch plug pressure applying means, andmeans for securing the cover in closed position, may be employed.

In assembling the parts of the hatch structure,- the roof hatch sheetproper, provided with a suitable opening, is placed over the hatchcoaming, which projects through it, and the hatch sheet is then rivetedto the side and end plates and welded around the entire periphery of thepreviously applied coaming. The hatch sheet is self supporting, inasmuchat it is riveted to the side and end plates. The coaming is individuallysupported by the roof hatch sheet to which it is welded and by theladder carline and frostbreaking insulating ring or gasket. For thepurpose of attachment of the ring to the ladder carline and the ring tothe coaming, sets of bolts, rivets, or screws 29, 30 are used to connectthe coaming to the ring or gasket and to independently connect the ringor gasket to the ladder carline, as shown particularly in Figures 6 and'7, in which sets of fastenings are staggered with relation to eachother and are each countersunk at one end in the gasket so as to avoiddirect connection between the coaming and carline and any heat-exchangebetween these parts. The hatchway lining or skirt is preferably made inone piece and applied from the interior of the car to the verticalportions or legs of the carline members, to which the lining may beeither welded or secured by blind-riveting or self-tapping screws. Thislining not only forms a complete flashing but also a satisfactory armoragainst the rough usage it gets due to abrasion and impacts of chunk andcake ice and against the sharp points of the pike poles used in icingthe cars. The described hatch structure not only permits of ready andquick asemblage of its parts, but of quick repairs or replacement ofdamaged parts when required.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a modified construction in which, in place of therubber gasket 24, layers of plywood 24 and asbestos 24* are used betweenand secured to the coaming and carline in the same manner as the rubbergasket to provide a heat insulating break connection therebetween.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawingsthe construction of my improved hatchway will be readily understood bythose versed in the art without a further and extended description. Insumming up, the advantages of this construction may be stated asfollows: (1) the heat transfer from interior to exterior or vice versais definitely interrupted, (2) the general over-all construction of thehatch coaming, ladder carline and steel skirt is completely maintainedfor armoring, longevity and maintenance services, (3) the use of aprefabricated unitary steel skirt does away with haphazard flanging oflight gage flashings and the use of heavy wooden hatch carlines andblocks heretofore employed to nail the light gage flashings thereto, andprovides a skirt of much greater inherent strength and durability, (4)the use of a structural angle coaming affords greater convenience inapplication and a saving of cost over the pressed metal coamingscustomarily used, (5) the construction of the hatchway parts allowsquicker and more convenient inspection of the parts and their repairs orreplacement as occasion requires, and (6) removal of the easilyremovable skirt, not only allows a skirt in use to be readily repairedor replaced but also allows ready inspection of the insulation in thearea of the bunker ceiling and adjacent to the hatch open- While theconstruction disclosed herein is preferred it is to be understood that Ido (not limit my invention thereto, but reserve the right to make suchchanges in the form, constructionand arrangement of parts as fairly tallwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a hatchway construction for cars, a roof sheet having a hatchwayopening, :carlines .at- 'taehed to the car s'ide plates and-arrangedbeneath the edges of "the "opening, and a hatchway lining includingaooam ing d ispos'edsabovefandsupported by the carlines and :a skirt:fo'rmed independently of the coaming an-d supported by 'the carlines.

2. In a hatchway construction for cars, .a "roof sheet having a hatchwayopening, .carlines attached to the .car side plates and arranged.beneath the edges of the opening, a hatchway .lining comprising acoamingdisposedabove and supported by the carlinesand askirtiformedseparate from the coaming and supported :by the 'carlines,means interposed between and 'insulatively connecting the-coamingwiththe-carlines, andmeans interposed between and insulativelyconnecting the *carlines with the car side :plates.

3. In a hatch construction tor roars having .a roof sheet and a ceiling,each formed with a hatch opening, a metal coaming extending upwardthrough 'the opening in the roof sheet and havin a base Jflange boundingthe "opening, a metal framing supported by the car and supporting thecoaming,saidirarriingbeing arranged below and secured to said flange-ofthecoaming, and a unitary metal skirt extending through the opening inthe ceiling and secured at its upper end to the framing.

4. In a hatch construction for cars having a roof and a ceiling formedwith hatch openings, a metal coaming extending upward through theopening in the roof and having a base portion extending beneath andsecured to the roof sheet at the edges of said opening, a metal framingsupported by the car and bounding the hatchway below the base portion ofthe coaming, and a unitary metal skirt extending upward through theopening in the ceiling and secured at its upper end to said framing.

5. In a hatch construction for cars having a metal roof provided with ahatch opening, a metal coaming extending through said opening and havinga base portion secured to the underside of the roof sheet, a metalframing supported by the car and arranged beneath the base portion ofthe coaming, a skirt secured at its upper end to the framing, and a heatinsulating barrier supported by the framing and interposed between andthermally insulating the coaming and framing from each other.

6. In a hatchway construction for cars, a car body having a metal roofsheet provided with a hatch opening, a metal coamin having a partunderlying and secured to the sheet roof about the hatch opening, aladder carline supported by the body and including members connectedwith each other and extending beneath said part of the coaming about thehatchway, insulating material independently fastened to said part of thecoaming and to the carline by fastening members insulated thereby fromthe coaming, ladder carline and each other, anda metalsskirtdependingfrom the carline and connected thereto.

'7. In a hatchway construction for cars, :a car body having a metal:roof sheet provided with .a hatch opening, a :metal coaming having a:part underlying and secured to the sheet roof about the hatch opening,a, :ladder carline supported by the :body and including membersconnected with each otherand extending beneath said part of the coamingabout the hatchway, insulating material interposed between .saidunderlying part of the coaming and :the carline,and ;a metal 'skirtsecured to and depending from the .carline.

8. In a hatchway construction (for cars, a .car

body having a metal roof sheet provided with :a

hatch opening, a metal coaming :hav-inga part underlying and secured tothe sheet :roo'f about the hatch opening, a ladder carline supported bythe body and including longitudinal and transverse angle metal barsbounding the $013811- ing and each having an upper horizontal flange anda vertical leg depending therefrom, insulating material interposedbetween the roof sheet and the horizontal flanges of the bars, and .ametal skirt secured to and depending from the legs of the bars.

9. In a hatchway construction for-cars, a car body having a metal roofsheet provided with :a hatchway opening, a metal coaming projectingupwardly through the opening and having a base flange extending underand secured-to the sheet about the margins-of the opening, a-metal-framesupported by the body in the hatch-way :space and having upper flangeportion disposed beneath the coaming, a metal skirt secured to anddepending from the metal frame, and insulation between the flanges-ofthecoamingand-the frame thermally insulating thesheetand coaming from theframe and skirt.

10. In a hatchway construction for-cars, a-oar body having a metal roof*sh'eet provided with a hatchway opening, a metal coaming projectingupwardly and outwardly at an angle through the opening and having a baseflange extending under and secured to the roof sheet, a metal framesupported by the body and bounding the opening beneath the coaming, ametal skirt secured to and depending from the metal frame, andinsulation between the flange of the coaming and the frame thermallyinsulating the sheet and coaming from the frame and skirt.

11. In a hatchway construction for cars, a car body having a metal roofsheet provided with a hatchway opening, a metal coaming projectingupwardly and outwardly at an angle through the opening and having a baseflange extendin under and secured to the sheet, a metal frame supportedby the body and comprising bars having depending legs bounding theopening and having flange portions disposed beneath the flange of thecoaming, a metal skirt secured to and depending from the legs of themetal frame, and insulation between the flanges of the coaming and theframe thermally insulating the sheet and coaming from the frame andskirt.

12. A hatchway construction for cars comprising a metal lining includinga coaming and a skirt forming the upper and lower parts of the lining, ametal frame structure arranged beneath the coaming, and a barrier ofinsulating material interposed between and supporting the coaming fromthe frame structure and thermally insulating said parts from each other.

13. A hatchway construction for cars including a metal roof sheet havinga hatch opening, a

metal coaming having a part extending beneath and secured to the roofsheet, a metal frame structure arranged beneath the coaming, a metalskirt supported below the coaming by said frame structure, and a barrierof insulating material supported by the frame structure and supportingthe coaming therefrom and thermally insulating the coaming from theskirt and framing.

14. In a hatchway construction for cars, a car body having a metal roofsheet provided with a hatch opening, a metal coaming having a partunderlying and secured to the sheet roof about the hatch opening, aladder carline including longitudinal and transverse frame bars boundingthe opening and connected to each other, fastening connections betweeneach end of each transverse frame bar and the adjacent side of the car,each of said fastening connections comprising an insulating blockdisposed between the car side and the adjacent end of the transverseframe bar and fastening elements independently connecting the block withthe car sides and adjacent end of the transverse frame bar, and a metalskirt secured to and depending from the carline frame bars.

15. In a hatchway construction for cars, a car body having a metal roofsheet provided with a hatch opening, a metal coaming secured to andprojecting upwardly from said sheet at the margin of the opening, ametal flange supported by the body and bounding the opening beneath thecoaming and adjacent portion of the roof sheet, .a metal skirt separatefrom the coaming and secured to and depending from the metal frame, andinsulation supported by the frame and interposed between and supportingthe coaming from the frame and thermally insulating the sheet andcoaming from the frame and skirt.

16. In a hatchway construction for cars, a car body having a metal roofsheet provided with a hatch opening, a metal coaming secured to saidsheet and projecting upwardly through the opening and having a baseportion bounding the edge of the opening, a metal carline frameincluding a pair of longitudinal frame bars and a pair of cross framebars connected with each other and bounding the opening beneath the baseof the coaming and supporting said coaming insulated fastening meansconnecting the edges of one of the pairs of frame bars to the body, ametal skirt formed separately from the coaming and secured at its upperend to and depending from the metal frame, and insulation between thecoaming and the frame thermally insulating the sheet and coaming fromthe frame and skirt.

17. In a hatchway construction for cars, a car body having a metal roofsheet provided with a hatchway openin a metal coaming projectingupwardly and outwardly at an angle through the opening and having a baseflange extending under and secured to the roof sheet, a metal framebounding the opening and comprising longitudinal bars and transversebars connected therewith, said bars having flange portions disposedbeneath the flange of the coaming and supporting said coaming, insulatedconnections between the ends of the transverse bars and with the body, aunitary metal skirt piece formed separate from the coaming and securedto and depending from the metal frame, and insulation between the flangeof the coaming and the frame thermally insulating the sheet and coamingfrom the frame and skirt.

WILLIAM H. KELEI-IER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,047,133 Christianson et al. July 7, 1936 2,100,124 GilpinNov. 23, 1937 2,204,164 Steuber June 11, 1940

